NYT Strands Hints and Answer for January 4, 2026

Welcome to your comprehensive guide for The New York Times Strands puzzle for January 4, 2026! If you’re struggling to find all the theme words or that elusive spangram, you’ve come to the perfect place.

Strands is one of the NYT’s newest and most creative word games, challenging players to find thematically connected words hidden within a grid of letters. Today’s puzzle has a fascinating theme that will have you thinking about extraordinary abilities and intuitive knowledge. Let’s explore some hints before revealing all the answers!

What Is NYT Strands?

NYT Strands is a daily word search puzzle game with a twist. Unlike traditional word searches, you need to identify a theme and find all the words that relate to it. The letters are used to form theme words, and every letter in the grid must be used exactly once. The puzzle also includes a special “spangram”—a word or phrase that describes the theme and spans from one side of the board to the other.

You can play the official version at The New York Times Strands page.

How to Play NYT Strands

If you’re new to Strands, here’s how it works:

1. Study the theme clue provided at the top of the puzzle
2. Find words that relate to the theme by connecting adjacent letters
3. Submit theme words to earn hints if you get stuck
4. Locate the spangram that describes the overall theme
5. Use every letter exactly once to complete the puzzle
6. Track your progress with the color-coded feedback system

The goal is to fill the entire board with thematically connected words!

Today’s Strands Theme: “I just know…”

The theme for January 4, 2026, is “I just know…”

This cryptic clue refers to ways of knowing things beyond the five traditional senses. Think about intuition, perception beyond normal sensory capabilities, and people who claim to have special insight into things they couldn’t normally know.

General Hints for Today’s Strands (No Spoilers)

Hint 1: Today’s theme is all about extrasensory perception and supernatural abilities.

Hint 2: Think about people who claim to know things through means other than the five physical senses.

Hint 3: The words relate to psychic abilities, fortune-telling, and intuitive knowledge.

Hint 4: Some words describe types of people with special abilities, while others describe the abilities themselves.

Hint 5: The spangram is a two-word phrase that describes an often-discussed “extra” sense.

Hint 6: Consider words you’d hear in discussions about paranormal abilities or ESP.

Word-Specific Hints (Spoiler-Free)

Word 1 Hint

• Length: 6 letters
• Clue: A person who claims to communicate through supernatural means, often to predict the future
• Additional hint: Often depicted with a crystal ball

Word 2 Hint

• Length: 6 letters
• Clue: A prophetic figure who delivers messages or predictions
• Additional hint: Famous examples include the one at Delphi in ancient Greece

Word 3 Hint

• Length: 7 letters
• Clue: Someone who claims to have perception beyond normal sensory abilities
• Additional hint: Often shortened to just “psychic”

Word 4 Hint

• Length: 8 letters
• Clue: Someone who can read minds or communicate mentally
• Additional hint: The ability to transmit thoughts directly to another person’s mind

Word 5 Hint

• Length: 11 letters
• Clue: The longest word in today’s puzzle, describing someone with the ability to perceive distant or future events
• Additional hint: From French, literally meaning “clear seeing”

Spangram Hint

• Length: 10 letters (two words combined)
• Clue: A famous phrase describing an intuitive ability beyond the traditional five senses
• Additional hint: Often referenced in movies and TV shows about supernatural abilities

Related Daily Puzzle Games

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NYT Strands Answers for January 4, 2026

Ready for the complete solution? Here are all the theme words and the spangram:

Theme Words:

1. MEDIUM – A person who claims to communicate with spirits or perceive information through supernatural means
2. ORACLE – A prophetic figure or source of wisdom, often associated with ancient religious sites
3. PSYCHIC – Someone who claims to possess extrasensory perception or paranormal abilities
4. TELEPATH – A person with the alleged ability to read minds or communicate mentally
5. CLAIRVOYANT – Someone who claims to perceive events or information beyond normal sensory contact

Spangram:

SIXTHSENSE – The intuitive ability to perceive things beyond the five traditional senses

Understanding Today’s Theme Words

Let’s explore the fascinating vocabulary featured in today’s puzzle:

MEDIUM

A medium is someone who claims to act as an intermediary between the living and the dead, or who can channel information from supernatural sources. The term has been used since the mid-19th century, particularly during the Spiritualism movement. Mediums often use various methods like séances, automatic writing, or trance states to receive messages.

ORACLE

In ancient times, oracles were people (often priests or priestesses) through whom gods were believed to speak, providing prophecies and divine guidance. The most famous was the Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece. Today, the term is used more broadly to describe any authoritative or wise source of information, or someone who seems to predict the future with uncanny accuracy.

PSYCHIC

A psychic is someone who claims to possess extrasensory perception (ESP) or other paranormal abilities. The word comes from the Greek “psychikos,” meaning “of the soul or mind.” Psychics may claim abilities like precognition (seeing the future), retrocognition (seeing the past), or clairvoyance (perceiving distant or hidden things).

TELEPATH

A telepath is someone who allegedly possesses telepathy—the ability to transmit or receive thoughts and mental information without using the known sensory channels. The term combines the Greek words “tele” (distant) and “pathos” (feeling or perception). Telepathy remains a popular concept in science fiction despite lack of scientific evidence.

CLAIRVOYANT

Clairvoyant literally means “clear seeing” in French. It describes someone who claims to gain information about objects, people, locations, or events through extrasensory perception. Unlike general psychics, clairvoyants specifically claim visual perceptions of things beyond normal sight—they might “see” distant events, future occurrences, or hidden objects.

SIXTHSENSE (Spangram)

The “sixth sense” is a popular term for intuition or the ability to perceive things beyond the five traditional senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch). The phrase suggests an additional sensory capability that allows people to know things they couldn’t possibly know through normal means. The concept has been explored extensively in popular culture, most famously in the 1999 film “The Sixth Sense.”

Why Today’s Strands Was Challenging

Today’s puzzle presented several unique challenges:

Theme Interpretation: The cryptic clue “I just know…” required lateral thinking to connect it to psychic abilities and extrasensory perception.

Word Length Variation: The words ranged from 6 letters (MEDIUM, ORACLE, PSYCHIC) to 11 letters (CLAIRVOYANT), requiring different search strategies.

Overlapping Letters: Finding where one word ended and another began could be tricky, especially with longer words like CLAIRVOYANT.

Vocabulary Depth: Some words like TELEPATH and CLAIRVOYANT might not be in everyone’s everyday vocabulary, making them harder to spot.

Spangram Identification: Recognizing that SIXTHSENSE should be written as one word rather than two separate words added an extra layer of complexity.

Strategy Tips for Solving NYT Strands

Want to improve your Strands game? Here are proven strategies:

Start with the theme: Really think about what the clue means before diving into the letter grid. Understanding the theme is 50% of solving the puzzle.

Look for longer words first: Longer words are often easier to spot and can help you figure out the theme more quickly.

Find the spangram early: The spangram usually gives away the theme clearly, making other words easier to identify.

Use hint words strategically: If you’re stuck, finding three non-theme words earns you a hint. Sometimes this is worth doing to make progress.

Work the edges: Spangrams often run along the edges of the grid, making them good places to start your search.

Think broadly about themes: Don’t limit yourself to the most obvious interpretations of the theme clue.

Check for variants: Sometimes theme words include different forms (PSYCHIC vs PSYCHICS) or related terms.

Use every letter: Remember that all letters must be used exactly once, which can help you figure out where words begin and end.

Take breaks: If you’re stuck, stepping away for a few minutes can give you fresh perspective.

The Cultural Fascination with Psychic Abilities

Today’s theme taps into humanity’s long-standing fascination with abilities beyond normal perception:

Historical Significance: Throughout history, societies have revered people claiming special knowledge—from ancient oracles to medieval mystics to modern psychics.

Scientific Skepticism: Despite numerous studies, scientific evidence for psychic abilities remains elusive, with most claimed demonstrations failing to hold up under controlled conditions.

Popular Culture: Psychic phenomena remain enormously popular in entertainment, from TV shows like “Medium” and “The Mentalist” to countless movies and books.

Psychological Explanations: Many psychologists attribute seemingly psychic experiences to cognitive biases, cold reading techniques, selective memory, and pattern recognition.

Continuing Appeal: Regardless of scientific consensus, millions of people consult psychics, believe in intuition, and report experiences they consider supernatural.

Final Thoughts

Whether you solved today’s Strands puzzle independently or needed some hints along the way, you’ve explored a fascinating theme that bridges psychology, culture, and the human desire to know the unknowable. The vocabulary of psychic phenomena—from mediums to clairvoyants—reflects our enduring curiosity about consciousness and perception.

NYT Strands continues to challenge players with creative themes that encourage both linguistic skill and lateral thinking. Today’s puzzle was a perfect example of how a simple clue (“I just know…”) can open up an entire world of thematically connected words.

Come back tomorrow for more Strands hints and answers, and keep exercising that word-finding ability—no sixth sense required!

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